CAST was founded in 1978 in Mexico. So this year they have been playing for 20 years. Like so many other progressive rock groups they have evolved through the years and the music and influences have been changing between each album. Generally you can say that they are playing melodic progressive rock with many long instrumental passages combined with influences from baroque, bossonova, classical music, Heavy Metal, Jazz and Tango. The lyrics are mostly based on fantasy themes.

They have a very keyboard oriented British Neo-progressive sound and although they are from Mexico there are no distracting accents. You can hear influences from many different progressive rock bands such as CAMEL, EMERSON LAKE & PALMER, DREAM THEATER, mid-period GENESIS (their main influence), JETHRO TULL, LED ZEPPELIN, MARILLION, PENDRAGON, PINK FLOYD, RUSH, SAVATAGE, UK and YES. All of the CD's is passing 60 minutes, with an average track length about 8 minutes long.

CAST is definitely one of the best neo-progressive bands together with MARILLION and PENDRAGON. It's very strange that they haven't gained more recognition in the neo-progressive genre. CAST is also said to be a very good live act.

- Greger Rönnqvist

Their 2008 release is a SPLENDID symphonic-prog album, filled with wonderful, haunting melodies, great musicianship, exciting songs and instrumentals that shift from the moving and slower parts to fast and dynamic.

— First review of this album —

I have heard of Cast before and got curious about them, but never heard more than snippets of their music. I read a few favourable reviews of their previous album, Com.Union but didn’t pick it up. So, Originallis is my first proper listen to the music of Cast, this long-time active Mexican band.

And what and album it is!

A double album, this 2008 release is over 90 minutes long, filled with lovely symphonic rock moments, embracing keyboards, powerful lead guitar playing and delightful playing of other instruments such as saxophone, flute and clarinet.

The songs flow into each other naturally, connected and seem to not end. The music changes mood and pace from a relaxed opening song named after the title of the album to the highly energetic, fun and enthralling instrumental piece that is Pulsar. It is a fantastic piece, emotional and powerful, shifting from a slightly melancholic state to an optimistic and positive mood, always on the move, not giving the listener any rest, but not in an exhausting kind of way; simply it just goes on and on, evolving as it goes on, adding structures and changing instruments as it develops. The sax solo, the use of the female vocalizations, and the rest of this expanded lineup take this track one notch up than it would have been, showing the importance of knowing how to not only construct your song but also how to orchestrate it, “paint” it with ingredients that will take it further on.

There are wonderful melodic lines, filled with passion and which sound powerful thanks to the enhanced lineup and the female vocalization. The balance between the melodic and the complex and dynamic is at a good position, as the switching occurs seamlessly and the result can proudly stand in line with other current great lineups of progressive rock bands. The male vocals by Alejandro Tornero are delicate and soft, matching the music and melodies and do not overshadow the rich sound of the band and the full gamut of instruments played upon. The female vocals and vocalization adds another magical layer to the already thrilling basis and fit very well.

I have also to mention the wonderful artwork of the album, magnificent drawings that are a delight to look at while listening to the music.

As said above, this is a long album, but for some reason I could get into it quite quickly and surprisingly for an album of this length, already from the second listen. While the music can be complex at times, it is quite accessible and bears a charm hard for me to resist. You may want to use the natural division of the two cd’s to have separate listens and make it easier to grasp. If you like current and 90’s Italian symphonic prog bands you might recognize some similarities in the style.

The album mixes very well the wonderful symphonic-prog sound with lush keyboards alongside heavy, almost metal-like guitar solos. If you like symphonic-prog that travels between the soft and heavy the tender and powerful, this is a very worthwhile album to get. A fantastic album.

Thank you Avestin. I am even more intrigued now. This definitely sounds like an album that I need to hear.

Edit: I went on and did other things while playing the YouTube songs on their MySpace page. Definitely "love at first listen". They indeed sound quite awesome.

I'm sure you'll love the album.

With each listen I give it, I just love it more. It's simply a fabulous release. Such rich in sound and filled with passion, man great intricacies that enhance it, fantastic playing, great ideas, wonderful and beautiful tunes.... Exactly what I want from an album!

Though i don't own the album, i saw them performing several of the songs included in "Originallis" and were terrific, i listened to the complete album twice in a friend's house, when i buy it i may give a better opinion about it.

Though i don't own the album, i saw them performing several of the songs included in "Originallis" and were terrific, i listened to the complete album twice in a friend's house, when i buy it i may give a better opinion about it.

Hola Memo, was waiting for you to appear here!

It's a wonderful album I just can't get enough of it. I listen to it repeatedly and it gets better and better with each listen.

A must buy for all lovers of symphonic-prog/rock (whatever you may want to call it).

Bumping this again in the hopes the more people check this album out; Still my favourite from this year! Brilliant playing and compositions, melodic, enthusiastic, fun, emotional, uplifting, beautiful, compelling...Seriously GET THIS!!!

^ I wish I could, but the album is not available through my usual "channels". I wonder why the bands aren't trying to promote their albums better. Not in terms of advertising, but in making sure that if people are interested in the music, they should find it on the most popular downloading platforms and only stores.

By the way, to all those who will check it out, the opener song is a slow vocals-lead song that draws you into the mood, very similar to the way the opening the the Bacio Della Medusa does it in their 2008 release. So don't be scared away by the opening, give it a bit of time and then you'll see how the music starts unfolding and in fact will kick in hard from the second song on up until the very end.

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